Girl sells cookies, cocoa to pay off classmates’ lunch debts

VISTA, Calif. — A five-year-old California girl has a heart filled with compassion for her classmates and a willingness to help, KSWB reports.

The little girl sold cookies and hot cocoa to raise money to pay off negative lunch balances at her school.

Coloring in her classroom at Breeze Hill Elementary School, 5-year-old Katelynn Hardee has a big heart and a worthy cause.

“I can give money to the lunch people that don’t have the money,” Katelynn said.

It all started when she overheard another student’s mother saying she was having a hard time paying for something.

That’s when the wheels in her mind started turning.

“She’s very inquisitive,” said Katelynn’s mother, Karina Hardee. “So she started asking me a bunch of questions, and I tried to answer as best as I could without too much for a 5-year-old and just explained to her that some people aren’t as fortunate as us.”

Katelynn decided she had to help.

“Her idea was, ‘could we do a hot cocoa and cookie stand?’ And I said ‘let’s do it,'” Karina said. “She sat out there for probably about three hours and sold through all all the cookies, all the hot cocoa.”

“There were cookies and a snowman and a snowflake one,” Katelynn said.

But even after three hours of selling delicious cookies and hot cocoa, they still had to find out if donating was even possible.

“I just left a note saying my daughter held a hot cocoa fundraiser over the weekend and would love to donate the money to any of the negative accounts,” Karina said.

The money Katelynn raised paid off the lunch balances for 123 students and right on time for the Christmas season.

Katelynn is seeing firsthand how far an act of generosity can go.

“Her actions do create awesomeness,” Karina said.

This week, Katelynn was honored by her school with an award for her act of generosity.